The New Deal of the Mind couldn’t be more timely

Last week, you asked for suggestions in response to the request from the New Deal of the Mind coalition, soliciting proposals for potential job-creation strategies for the creative sector (Voxpop, DW 16 April).

We at the Design Council welcome this coalition and stand ready to support it in any way we can. It amplifies the message that only through creativity and innovation will businesses and communities recover from the recession.

It is also a reminder that now is the time to exploit Britain’s ingenuity and inventiveness. Despite a vibrant and world-leading creative sector, not enough is done to exploit our creative capabilities.

Too few businesses use design to innovate, for example, and Government is only now beginning to wake up to the potential of design and creativity to transform the public sector. So a coalition of leading creatives, businesses and Government to tackle this problem couldn’t come at a better time.

Sir Michael Bichard, Chairman, Design Council, by e-mail